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My Cup Runneth Over: A Ritual for Abundance

Posted by on in Paths Blogs

This little prosperity/abundance ritual comes from my book Ancient Spellcraft.

My Cup Runneth Over

The milk-giving cow, with horns that symbolize the phases of the Moon, embodied prosperity and abundance as well as nourishment and the nurturing of the Mother to the ancient Minoans. As the goddess Europa pours out her milk to feed the gods, she also pours out abundance to us, her children.

The Minoans may have poured libations of cow's milk and red wine to symbolize the milk and blood that support life. Pouring out a liquid is sympathetic magic, representing the Mother Goddess pouring out abundance to us from her bounty. Offer this libation, then, to bring an outpouring of Europa's abundance into your life.

NOTE: This ritual (or spell, if you want to call it that) invokes the cow-goddess Europa, so you need to use cow's milk. You don't have to drink the milk, so you can do this ritual even if you don't consume dairy. If you're so allergic that you can't even risk touching cow's milk (yes, there are folks out there like this) then you could use goat's milk and call on the Minoan goat-goddess Amalthea instead. She nursed Rhea's infant son Dionysus and gave us the cornucopia, a symbol of abundance made from her horn. You could certainly try non-dairy milks (soy, rice, almond, coconut) but I don't expect you'd get the same results. This is all about the symbolism.

What you'll need:

- A pitcher (it doesn't have to be very big)

- Cow's milk (whole milk, please - you want the cream of prosperity, don't you?)

- A bowl big enough to hold all the milk, if you'll be doing this indoors

I like to pour this offering outdoors in the light of the moon. That makes me feel like Europa is watching over me as I do it. She is officially a Full Moon goddess (her name supposedly means "broad face," though that etymology is disputed) but her cow-form with its horns reminds us that she embodies the whole lunar cycle, including the crescent phases. I've done this ritual at different Moon phases (everything except dark days of the New Moon, essentially) and it works well as long as the Moon is visible in the sky.

Dance ethnology research shows that Europa may have originally been a Sun Goddess, similar to the Egyptian cow-goddess Hathor, so you could also perform this ritual using solar imagery and timing. In that case, I'd opt for noon on a bright, sunny day.

If you're outdoors, you can pour the milk directly onto the ground or dig a hole to pour it in, if you like. If you'll be indoors, you'll need a bowl to pour it in. If you can manage it, doing this near a window that lets in the moonlight (or sunlight) is nice. Afterwards, take the milk outside to return it to the earth. I find it to be a bit disrespectful to just pour it down the drain.

You can perform this ritual on behalf of your whole family, if you like. Just change the pronouns to plural.

Fill your pitcher to the brim with milk, as full as you can get it without spilling. This represents the fullness of the goddess's abundance. Hold the pitcher up (carefully!) and let the moonlight fall on it if you can. Call to the goddess:

Europa, gracious goddess, by your horns I know the passing of the days and the turning of the cycles. Pour out your abundance on me, I pray, that I may know the fullness of your bounty as I know the fullness of the Moon.

Pour out the milk. Let it pour slowly. Watch the liquid twist and curl down through the air and splash as it lands. Allow yourself to get caught up in the process. You're pouring out your gratitude to Europa as she pours out her blessings on you. Say the following as you pour (you can stop for a moment in the middle of the process if you need to - this doesn't have to be a juggling act):

From the goddess flows life-giving milk in her bounty. May abundance flow to me until my pitcher is full.

Again, take your time to finish pouring the libation. When the pitcher is empty, turn it upside down on the ground or a table to show the goddess that you've emptied it completely. Thank her for her gifts:

Europa, gracious goddess, I thank you for the knowledge of the passing of the days and the turning of the cycles. I thank you for your gifts of abundance in my life.

Leave the pitcher where it sits until the Moon has set below the horizon.

I wish you abundance and prosperity, and the gratitude to appreciate all you're given.

Last modified on
Laura Perry is a priestess and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. She's the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne's Tribe, an inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition. When she's not busy drawing and writing, you can find her in the garden or giving living history demonstrations at local historic sites.

Comments

  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis Saturday, 26 November 2016

    Oh my, Laura, I was delighted to see this post and love the job you did with it. For decades, been channeling rituals with milk and teaching them, and just love milk ceremonies. Yet most Pagan ritual is more focused on wine. Not that there's anything wrong with wine, but I prefer a milk rite, love its power. And, in fact, a lot of ancient documents that were originally using milk were mistranslated later as using wine, creating a substantive shift from feminine to masculine in terms of some archetypal sensibilities. But the milk, the milk, milk, from the Magna Mater, yes, it holds it all. Thanks for introducing more people to Her milk, your doing so made my day!

  • Laura Perry
    Laura Perry Sunday, 27 November 2016

    Thanks very much for your kind words. Yes, we really have missed out on a lot of really powerful symbolism and connection by removing milk from the offering table. I'm doing my little part to put it back where it belongs.

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